


Panlie Week 2019

by paperjamBipper



Category: We Bare Bears (TV)
Genre: Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Fankids - Freeform, Fluff, Kisses, LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE, Love, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panlie Week, Secret Relationship, Snake Babies, Wedding Fluff, so so so so so many kisses okay there's so many, wedding vows
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-10
Updated: 2019-06-14
Packaged: 2020-03-06 05:59:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18845056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paperjamBipper/pseuds/paperjamBipper
Summary: A collection of stories of varying lengths on varying topics about two boys from San Francisco who love each other more than life itself.





	1. First Kiss

He’s read about it in thousands of novels. It’s been the subject of hundreds of movies, and the one or two times he’s dabbled in writing fanfiction (that his brothers never have and never _will_ find, thank you very much), it’s been the key plotline.

But, despite all this, despite all the knowledge he claims to have and the experience he claims to have picked up on, Panda still hasn’t had his first kiss.

It’s _the_ defining moment of your romantic life. Your first kiss determines every other kiss you’re going to have for the rest of your life. It determines how you’re going to _do,_  romantically, for the rest of your life. If the first person you kiss thinks you’re a good kisser, you’re set for life. If they think you’re _bad,_ or _just average,_ than you might as well just give up on the idea of romance altogether.

Panda’s heard it said that _who_ you have your first kiss with is just as important as the actual kiss itself. Legend has it that your first kiss determines if the strings of fate decide whether or not you and whoever you kissed are a match made in heaven by the stars themselves. Or something like that. Who knows? Panda doesn’t, that’s for sure.

But what he _does_ know is that his first kiss has to go _perfectly._

He’s been dating Charlie for just under two weeks now. He swears it would’ve been longer than that if he’d just worked up the courage to tell him how he felt earlier, and honestly, after all is said and done? Panda regrets not speaking up sooner more than anything in the world. Charlie’s just about the sweetest partner he could ask for.  If Panda thought he was affectionate and devoted _before_ they got together, he was _greatly_ mistaken, because as soon as Charlie no longer had to worry about boundaries and spatial issues he was _all_ over him.

Panda’s not sure he’s ever felt more loved or wanted in his life.

* * *

 

“Really?” Charlie beams, clasping his hands together. “Just the two of us?”

Panda smiles as he shoves the folded picnic blanket down into the basket and closes it. “Yeah!” he beams back. “I mean, we never got to have one on our own, since my brothers ended up joining us the last time you wanted to have one, and I figured, you know, since we’re together now…” Panda slings the basket over one of his shoulders and offers his hand out to Charlie.

“Oh, _pumpkin”_ Charlie exclaims, and scoops Panda up in his arms and squishes him close in a tight embrace. “You’re perfect”.

Panda plants a smooch on Charlie’s cheek. “So are you”.

Charlie grins, and plants a gentle kiss on Panda’s forehead.

God, Panda wants to kiss him properly so badly.

It’s all he can think about when they’re walking to find a good spot for their picnic.

Okay, maybe _they_ isn’t the word he should be using. It’s mostly Charlie looking, because all Panda can look at is him. His sweet smile, his laugh at some joke Panda missed, and his reaction every now and then as a bird flies overhead or something rustles in the bushes besides them. _How_ Panda couldn’t bring himself to tell him how he feels earlier, or _how_ it took Panda so long to realize how… _adorable_ Charlie is, he’s not sure.

“Here we are!” Charlie exclaims, pulling Panda from his thoughts, and Panda smacks into him. “Whoops, sorry sweetie” he says, turning his glance towards him as he pulls his hand away. Panda takes the basket off of his shoulder, and when he looks around they’re in the most beautiful clearing Panda’s ever seen. They’re surrounded by a circle of thick-leaved tees, but there’s beams of sunshine shining through the branches, and there’s tiny patches of small wildflowers scattered around the grass. Colorful, but too young to trigger Panda’s allergies.

“This is…” Panda drops the basket from his shoulder. “This is _incredible”_

Charlie places a hand on Panda’s shoulder. “Only the best for _my_ Pan-Man”

“Oh, pshh” Panda blushes, rubbing at the back of his head, and kneels down on the ground to set everything up. “I already have you”

Charlie blushes a deep blue, and kneels down to help him set up the blanket. “So what’d you bring?”

“Oh, yeah!” Panda beams, and pats at the blanket next to him as he reaches into the basket and pulls out a white paper bag. “I have a surprise for you. C’mere” he says, and when Charlie sits down beside him he hands him the bag

“Chicken and Waffles?” Charlie reads. “Huh, that sounds familiar” he scratches at the back of his head, inspecting the bag. “Oh!” he beams, once realization hits him. “Isn’t this that place I helped you find that one time?”

“Yeah!” Panda grins, and averts his eyes. “I called a couple of days ago and asked if they could put something aside for us” he rubs at his arm. “Because well, I figured, since you let me try your…pinecone and leaf…thing, that it’s only fair that you get to try chicken and waffles, and, well, I know you don’t like going out in public so much, so I…” he smiles at Charlie. “I took care of that part for you”

Charlie’s eyes are glimmering, he’s smiling that hard. “I just don’t know _where_ I’d be without you” he beams, and winds an arm around Panda while he takes the food from the bag. “Ah, this looks _great”_ he says, and pulls the second to-go container out of the bag. “This one’s yours, right? The one that says…Veeg on it?”

Panda chuckles. “Veg. Yeah, for vegetarian.” He takes the container and utensils from Charlie, and pops it open. He stabs a forkful of syrup-drenched waffle, and he’s about to take a bite of it, when something bright and shiny catches at the corner of his eye. He turns, and the sun’s shining _right_ through the branches and onto Charlie. It’s really emphasizing on his golden undertones, and Panda’s not sure _how_ he missed them when he did that painting, and he’s grinning down at his container of takeout, and his smile seems brighter than the sun itself, and-

“You okay?” Charlie asks, suddenly shifting his gaze from his food to Panda. “You haven’t touched your food” he frowns. “Is something on your mind?”

Panda snickers. “Yeah, yeah, sorry” he picks at his food with his fork. “I guess I just can’t stop thinking about how much I want to kiss you”

Charlie chokes, but he’s quick to collect himself. “Aw, you know there’s no need to be shy about that!” he smiles, and slightly turns his head like he’s inviting Panda to kiss him on cheek.

Panda giggles, and brings both paws to Charlie’s face. He gently turns Charlie’s head to make him look at him.

“No, Charlie, I mean I want to _kiss_ you” he says, and mocks the gesture of settling Charlie’s hair back behind his ears. Charlie blushes deeply, and drops his container of food in shock.

“Are…are you sure?”

Panda giggles, and gently guides Charlie’s hands to his sides. “I’m more than sure, Charlie.” He beams. “I love you”.

Charlie’s eyes go all big and glimmering, but before he can say another word, Panda pushes himself upwards and softly kisses Charlie on the lips. Charlie blinks rapidly, like he can’t believe this is actually happening, but he relaxes into the kiss just as Panda’s eyes slip closed. He adjusts his arms to allow himself to hold Panda close to him with one hand and to gently cup Panda’s face in the other, and he pushes himself forward, kissing Panda back, and-

It’s _everything_ Panda’s ever read about. Everything else just feels like it’s  _vanished._  The entire _world_ feels like it’s revolving around himself and Charlie, and it’s sweet, and gentle, and warm, and nothing like he could’ve ever imagined. It’s nothing like what he’s seen in the movies, there’s no cheering crowd, there’s no dramatics, they’re not at the top of the Eifel Tower or in the heart of an airport or in any sort of danger, it’s just _them,_ on an old checkered blanket, out in the forest, eating takeout. It’s everything, and it’s nothing, and it’s perfect, and it’s-

Over _far_ too quickly.

Charlie pulls away first, hesitantly, and he’s staring at Panda, wide-eyed, like he’s expecting him to say something.

Panda giggles.

“That was my first kiss”.

Charlie blinks in surprise and sits up, face splashed with a light blue blush. “R-really?” he stutters, and points at himself. “I’m your first kiss? I’d have thought for _sure_ the way we just kissed that you'd kissed  _plenty_ , because-” he starts, but cuts himself off, blush worsening.

“Because what?” Panda asks, gently squeezing Charlie’s hands in his own as a means of encouragement.

“Because…” Charlie giggles shyly. “That was my first kiss too".

 


	2. Secrets

“Just until I’m ready to tell my brothers, okay?” Panda whispers, clicking his bedroom door closed behind him. “Trust me, I’m  _just_ as happy about this as you are, but my brothers will  _never_ leave me alone if they find out that I’m seeing someone”. As an extra precaution, he glances out the window to make sure that neither of them are right outside and closes the shades. He turns towards Charlie, who’s already settled comfortably onto his bed. “And if they found out that I’m dating  _you,_ they’d have an entire wedding ceremony prepared the next time you stopped over just to say hello”

Charlie chuckles, and opens his arms for Panda as he sits down on the bed beside him. “D’aww, I think it’s sweet your brothers are so supportive” he smiles, and kisses Panda as he snuggles up against him. “Means I won’t have to worry about whether or not they think I’m good enough for their  _sweet little Pan-Pan”_  he babbles, covering Panda’s cheek in sweet little kisses.

Panda laughs loudly against the kisses, and leans upward to peck Charlie softly on the lips before he settles comfortably back into his chest. “Are you kidding? Have you  _met_ my brothers? Those two have been trying to push us together since the day I came out to them. It’s a wonder you were so surprised when I confessed to you”.

Charlie smiles warmly. “You’d be surprised if your biggest dream came true too, pumpkin”

Panda decides to hide his face by burying it deeper into Charlie’s fur. “Shut up,” he mumbles, and his voice is all muffled. He pulls his head away to look Charlie in the eyes, and he’s frowning. “But you’re  _sure_ you’re okay with keeping this under wraps for now? I swear it’ll  _just_  be a few days”

Charlie cups Panda’s face in his hands. “ _Panda”_ , he stresses. “I  _promise_ I’m okay with it. I know better than most what it’s like just to want something to yourself for a while” he shrugs. “I’m used to it”

Panda’s mouth twitches downwards in a tiny frown, like maybe that wasn’t the best choice of words Charlie could’ve used, but he smiles before he settles back into snuggling up to Charlie. “I love you” he says, in a quieter tone, and closes his eyes when Charlie’s arms are back around him. “I  _promise_ I’ll tell them soon and they’ll be up in our faces begging for details before we know it”

Charlie snickers. “I love you too”.  He places a quick yet gentle smooch on Panda’s forehead. “And I’m counting on it”

It’s an easy and comfortable pattern to fall into. Because they hadn’t been together long enough to  _really_ start making any official date plans, a lot of them just happen to fall on days when Charlie’s scheduled to hang out with all three of them as a group. It’s mostly the same, so as not to arouse suspicion, but Charlie’s presence feels much…warmer, than usual. It’s subtle gestures that set these hangouts apart from the others. It’s holding hands under the kitchen table, it’s claiming the open seat next to the other on the couch, it’s sneaking off to Panda’s bedroom with barely contained snickers while his brothers are preoccupied with other things.

In a weird sort of way, Panda feels, keeping a secret together like this is doing nothing if not bringing him and Charlie even closer together. After all, it  _is_ the subject of a lot of his favorite romantic comedies, of couples who sneak around to be together in the most ridiculous ways possible. It’s not  _pretending the relationship doesn’t exist,_ or whatever those stupid Everyone’s Tube reviewers say, it’s  _flaunting_ their relationship. It’s looking for excuses to kiss and cuddle and all these cute couple things every chance they get.

When they  _do_ get their time alone, on those rare occasions where Panda manages to sneak out of the cave and meet Charlie at a halfway point, though, those are his favorites. There’s  _nothing_ more intimate to Panda than just going for a walk, or stargazing, or… _anything,_ really, as long as he and Charlie are doing it alone. It just…feels good, to love and know so surely that he’s being loved back.

So much so that, ironically, the more intimate they are together when they’re alone, the harder their façade is to keep up when they’re with their brothers. Panda must’ve been onto something when he said he believed that secrecy and intimacy only made him and Charlie closer, because the more secretive and intimate they were when they were alone, the…harder it became to keep subtle when they all came together as a group.

There’s no way it’s been longer than a week. But as strong and self-controlled as Panda claims to be, he can’t seem to keep himself from Charlie. How  _he_ managed to keep quiet about his affections for all that time until Panda confessed to him, he’ll never know, because now that Panda has Charlie he never wants to let him go.

Panda can’t help but find himself smile at the thought. He’s sitting on the couch, absentmindedly scrolling through his phone. The TV’s paused at the start of the new episode of Swords and Castles, and Grizz and Ice are in the kitchen heating up a massive bowl of kettle corn.

There’s a knock at the door.

“I’ll get it!” Panda calls out to his brothers, unsure whether or not they can actually hear him. He opens the door, and takes a cautious glance behind him to make sure that his brothers haven’t come out from the kitchen to see who it is.

Panda smiles.

“Hi sweetie,” Panda whispers, leaning against the door frame, and Charlie giggles quietly as he scoops him up into his arms.

“Hey, pumpkin” he whispers back, and kisses Panda as he steps into the cave. Panda smiles into the kiss, gently pressing his forehead against Charlie’s, who sighs in contentment at the gesture. He kicks the door closed with his foot, and Panda’s about to pull away and asked to be put down, he really is, until they’re both suddenly spooked by the sound of something crashing to the ground.

They turn, and there’s a bowl of kettle corn spilled all over the floor of the cave, and Grizz and Ice are staring at them both, eyes wide and mouths agape.

Panda laughs awkwardly, and his gaze shifts back and forth between his brothers and Charlie. “Oh, hey bros!” he tries for casual, but fails miserably. “Is there something we forgot to mention?”


	3. Pumpkin/Panda Jr (Fankid Duo)

“Aha! You thought you could outsmart me, did you? Well I’ll have you know that not _only_ am I the princess of this kingdom, but I _also_ have super cool battle training under my wing!” Pumpkin swishes the large stick she’d found on the ground out in front of her like she was wielding a massive sword.  “Don’t believe me?” she scoffs at her imaginary enemy and chuckles dramatically. “En garde!”  She shouts, and begins thrashing her “sword” at the bush in front of her.

It’s not _her_ fault Uncle Grizz took her to see the new Princess-Warrior-Ninja movie the day it came out. She _tried_ inviting one or two of the kids she’d befriended when Panda took her to the city park the other day, but they were busy, and she was just _so so_ excited to see it that she begged Uncle Grizz to take her instead! She _would’ve_ asked Pandad (Dad for short), but as soon as she absentmindedly mentioned she’d wanted to see it when the trailer came on TV Uncle Grizz excitedly offered to take her instead. He’d said it was because he just _loved_ to spoil his niece, which was probably true, but Pumpkin’s a little bit convinced it’s because he wanted to see it too.

And yeah, while she feels a little bad she saw it before all her friends did, it was _so worth it._ It’s all she’s wanted to play pretend as since she’s gotten home from the movie theater. Alas, she can’t invite any of the city kids over to play with her to avoid accidentally spoiling the ending, and she’s not sure any of the baby forest animals Papa Charlie introduced her to can even _hold_ swords, but playing alone is just as fun because she can pretend she’s fighting whoever she pleases.

“You still underestimate me?” She grins. “You’ll think twice when you see my _double sword!”_ she exclaims, snapping her stick in half and shoving them at the bush in front of her. “Show me what you’ve got!” she squeals, taking a few sneaky steps towards the bush, when out of nowhere it begins rustling. She yelps in surprise and crashes to the ground, scooting backwards away from the rustling bush. It could be _anything_ on the other side of that bush, it could be a huge buck, or a wolf, or a-

There’s a faint hiss, and out from the bush she’d been slashing at slithers a tiny black and white snake.

“ _Snake!”_ she shrieks, and scoots backwards towards the front door of the cave. How did that one rhyme about snakes with stripes go? The one about poison? Black meant it was okay, right? If this snake bit her, she’d be okay, right?

But that doesn’t seem to matter, because this little snake is just…looking at her. He slithers a little bit closer to her, cautiously, and turns his little head to look at the cave behind her, almost like he’s double checking to make sure that he’s where he wants to be. After a tiny little hiss of affirmation, he turns back to her, and just…stares up at her.

….That’s _right._ Panda’s afraid of snakes, but Papa Charlie _loves_ them.

Pumpkin kneels to the ground. “Are you friendly?” She asks, offering the snake a cautious paw. He’s so tiny that she’s sure he can’t be a day older than she is, or however snake aging works to make them the equivalent of the same age. “I won’t hurt you. I’m sorry I attacked your bush. I was only pretending it was a bad guy. Pandad never told me that anyone lived right behind the cave”

The snake’s head perks up at the mention of Panda, and he slithers up to her paw and tentatively flicks at it with his tongue.

“I’m friendly too” she smiles sweetly. “Will knowing my name make you feel better? I’m Pumpkin!” she grins. “Just like the fruit.  I don’t think that’s where my name comes from, though.” She taps at her chin, contemplating. “I think it used to be a term of endearment Papa used for Pandad, or something?” she snickers. “I dunno. My parents are so cute.” Pumpkin blinks, stopping her little tangent from getting any longer. In a weird way, though, the little snake looks like he’s hanging on to every word she’s saying.

Pumpkin giggles. “You don’t seem so bad” she says, and offers her paw out to the little snake again. He hisses quietly, but it’s definitely not an upset hiss, because the next thing she knows he’s slithering up her arm and settling himself around her shoulder. “See?” she says aloud, more to herself than to her little snake friend.  “Just like Papa Charlie always says. You really _are_ sweet once I got to know you.”

At the mention of _Charlie,_ the snake bumps his tiny head against her cheek and nuzzles her fur.

“D’aww, you flatter me” she says, and gently pats at the tiny snake’s head. Pumpkin stands to her feet, and the little snake just stays exactly where he is on her shoulder. Pumpkin smiles, and looks towards the ground where she’d dropped her “swords”.

She picks them up. “Wanna play with me?” she asks, showing the two broken sticks off to her new friend. “I’m not really sure how a snake could hold a sword, but you could be my sneaky ninja friend who strikes with his…uh…teeth?” She shrugs. “You must have brothers and sisters though, right? So I won’t attack your bush anymore.”

She taps one of the branches with her stick. “The Pumpkin Kingdom hereby decrees a peace treaty between us and the Wild Bush.” She does a little curtsy, and turns to look for something a little further away from the cave. “Aha!” she exclaims, pointing her stick towards one of the evergreen trees a few feet away from her. “The Evergreen family! They never paid back the debt they owe us! Wanna help me collect it, my trusty ninja?”  

The little snake hisses in agreement.

“Perfect! There’s no way they’ll be able to ignore a princess warrior _and_ a ninja!” she exclaims, and begins to run towards the tree, her tiny sword held triumphantly out in front of her. But before she has a chance to tear the Evergreen castle door down,

“Pumpkin!” Panda calls out to her from the open living room window. “Food’s ready! You can come back out after you’re done eating”

Pumpkin skids to a stop. “Coming!” she calls out, before shooting a glare at the evergreen tree in front of her. “We’ll finish this later” she whispers, dropping her splintered sticks at the base of the tree. She turns her glance towards the little snake comfortably resting on her shoulder. “I guess that means you have to go home too, right?” she asks, turning towards the bush she’d seen him slither out of. “Will you just do me one little favor, though? My dad’s really afraid of snakes, but I think if he met you he’d be less afraid, since you’re so cute and tiny” she says, and blinks, before she adds “…not to mention that you kinda…look exactly like him. Can’t believe I didn’t notice that earlier”. The little snake looks up at the cave for a moment before he rests his head back down on her shoulder.

She’ll take that as a yes.

“Dad!” she calls out, as she sprints her way back to the cave. “Papa! There’s something I want to show you!”

“Pumpkin?” comes Charlie’s voice. “You okay? Lemme see what it is” he says, moving to meet her halfway from where he’d been standing in the doorway. Upon seeing the baby snake wrapped around her shoulder, though, he freezes dead in his tracks. “Is…” he mutters, like he can’t believe what he’s seeing. “Is that…?”

Pumpkin frowns. “I know, I know Dad’s afraid of them, but this one’s really sweet, and he’s just a baby, Papa, that I figured that he’d be okay with-”

“ _Panda Junior?”_ Panda’s voice suddenly exclaims from behind Charlie, and where Charlie froze in place Panda’s hurrying forward. “Is that really you?” he asks, and the tiny snake pops his eyes open and hisses happily at him. Much to Pumpkin’s surprise, Panda holds out a cautious paw, just as she’d done earlier, and the baby snake effortlessly makes the transfer from Pumpkin’s shoulder to Panda’s paw.

“It’s… really him?” Charlie stutters, and now he’s _running_ to Panda and the baby snake.

“Looks like it,” Panda says, and holds his arm up to allow the snake to slither down the entire length of his arm. “I’m surprised he remembers me”

“D’aww, means he likes you, sweetie” Charlie grins, placing a hand on Panda’s shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze. “Speaking of…” he crouches to get a closer look at the snake. “I missed _you,_ sweetie. How are Monty and Linguini holding up? “

The snake responds with a hiss, which makes Charlie laugh. He offers out his hand, and the little snake happily transfers himself onto Papa Charlie’s hand and wraps himself around his wrist, happily closing his eyes.

“I’m sorry… _who?”_ Pumpkin asks, eyes darting between Charlie babbling to the baby snake and Panda watching him with an affectionate smile.

“Panda junior” Panda answers her, not taking his eyes off of Charlie. “Did we ever tell you about the time Charlie tried to adopt a family of baby snakes?” he laughs quietly, and his gaze at Charlie only becomes so much softer. “He found their eggs in a little nest behind a little bush in our backyard and thought they were abandoned. He vowed that he’d raise them all himself no matter _what_ happened to them” he stands up on his tiptoes to smooch Charlie on the cheek. Charlie grins widely, closing his eyes against the kiss, and Panda Junior slithers up Charlie’s arm and across his shoulder and onto Panda’s. He curls up into a little ball and happily closes his eyes.

“Their real parents caught up to him eventually, and he had to send them home, but you know what I think?” Panda shifts to face Charlie, and takes his hands in his own. “I don’t think returning them said _anything_ about how great a parent he would be” he shakes his head. “If-if anything, I think it _proved_ just how incredibly… sweet, and empathetic, and…” he beams up at Charlie. “ _Loving_ he is”

Charlie’s beaming, and even Pumpkin can see that his eyes are going all big and sparkly, the way they do when he’s _really_ happy. He leans down, and Panda leans up to meet him halfway to kiss him. Panda’s blushing when he pulls away and returns his glance to Pumpkin. “Those baby snakes, Pumpkin, they’re…” he giggles, like he isn’t sure how she’s going to take it. “They’re part of what inspired me to adopt you into our family”

“ _Really?”_ Pumpkin squeaks, and barrels into Panda and Charlie, hugging both of them as best as she can with her tiny paws. They’re both quick to hug her back, and while Panda Junior remains where he is on Panda’s shoulder he nuzzles his head up to Pumpkin’s side. 

She pulls away first, and she’s grinning the widest smile she’s had on her face since the day she came home. “Does that make him my _brother?”_

Panda and Charlie seem to blush in perfect synchrony, and they both glance over at Panda Junior, happily sleeping on Panda’s shoulder.

“I…” Charlie rubs at the back of his head before he grins again. “I guess he is, sweetie!” he beams, and Pumpkin wants to squeal.

The two best dads a girl could _ever_ ask for, the coolest uncles _ever and_ a _snake_ for a brother?

Best.

Family.

_Ever._


	4. Wedding

_“Panda, wait-”, Charlie says, grabbing Panda by the hand and stopping him in his tracks. “I’ve been thinking”_

_Panda frowns. “Yeah?”_

_“No, no, nothing bad, I promise” Charlie waves his hands in the air defensively. “But I’ve been thinking, and, well…”he places his other hand on top of the other. “Why do these dates of ours have to end so quickly? Why couldn’t-” he steps closer to Panda. “Why couldn’t they last longer? I know I see you plenty when we’re with your brothers, and maybe it’s selfish of me to want even more time alone with you than I already have, but I was thinking, y’know…”he trails off, and despite the bright pink blush threatening to overtake Panda’s entire face he starts laughing._

_“Gee, Charlie, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were asking me to marry you” he retracts a paw to wipe at a tear in his eye_

_“Well, I don’t have any fancy ring on me or nothing, like in all your movies, but-”_

_Panda gasps and stumbles backwards when Charlie, still holding onto Panda’s free paw, sinks to the ground to one knee. He’s grinning so hard his face hurts. “Will you? You’d make me the happiest boy in the world”._

“And he said _yes!”_ Charlie whisper-shouts, finishing his story to the owl sitting on the tree branch above his car. “I just-I just _went_ for it, and-and I’m sure he was joking around, when he’d suggested it, because he’s always joking around about stuff like that, but when I just _did_ it, I got down on one knee and asked him, he said _yes!”_ he beams, breathless with joy, and runs his fingers through his fur at the top of his head like he’s _still_ in shock, like it _didn’t_ happen _months_ ago, like Panda hadn’t been freely and openly referring to him as his _fiancé_ since they got engaged, like they’re not getting married _tomorrow morning-_

The owl hoots, turning its head at him.

“Panda!”

The owl hoots again. “Yes! _That_ Panda! The one I’ve been gushin’ over to you for years! I’m marrying _him!”_

Charlie covers his face in his hands, and falls back into the backseat of his car. Okay, maybe he really _can’t_ still believe it’s happening. It’s been something he’s dreamed about for _years_ , from the moment he found himself developing feelings for Panda it’s all he’s been able to think about.

He’s going to be with Panda for the rest of his _life._ There’s no doubts or questions about it anymore. Panda _wants_ to be with him for the rest of his life.

There’s a soft buzzing sound coming from the front of his car, tearing Charlie from his thoughts, and he yelps in surprise. He sits up, and finds the source of the noise is the cellular phone Panda had bought him as soon as they started planning their wedding. The phone’s screen reads “2:03 AM”, in block letters, and there’s a single text from the only contact Charlie’s ever added to it.

“cant sleep”, sent by “Pumpkin <3” two minutes ago.

It wasn’t even his idea to spend the night before the wedding away from Panda. And it certainly wasn’t _Panda’s_ idea, either. It had been the suggestion of his brothers. Something about “bad luck” seeing the groom right before the wedding. Which, quite frankly, Charlie didn’t buy, but he wants _nothing_ more than to give Panda the perfect ceremony, so he shrugged it off and promised he’d keep his distance until he got the go-ahead to break it.

He clicks the screen on, opens his text conversation, and replies back with “Me neither :/”

It’s less than a minute before Charlie sees the bubble that indicates Panda’s typing back. “cant believe ur still using emoticons” is his first reply, followed by a short string of bored looking…emoji…things. Charlie swears he can hear him laughing from halfway across the forest.

“wish u were here” Panda texts, followed by a sticker of a cartoon panda holding up a sign that reads “MISS YOU”

“you’re making it much harder than it needs to be, sweetie” Charlie replies back, with a handful of hearts. “miss you too. wish I could hear your voice. It’s as good a compromise I can get for your sweet face”

“cant. Brothers don’t even know I have my phone in my room. Snuck it out of Grizz’s room. Doesn’t trust me not to talk to you before “it’s time”. Whatever that means”

Charlie smiles. “Guess he was right not to trust you”

“you’re one to talk, replying to me. Did I wake you?”

“nah, I couldn’t sleep either. I was just gushing about you to Martha”

“again? You should be careful before she tries to fight you for me”

“nah, she knows you’re mine <3 Really looking forward to tomorrow”

“me too” is Panda’s reply, followed by a string of heart emojis. “almost wish we could sneak out n do it now, but we’d have no witnesses”

“each other <33333”

There’s a short pause. Panda’s definitely laughing at him right now.

“love you <3 im gonna try to sleep. I’m gonna wake Grizz if I keep laughing n he’ll lock my phone in the fridge with Ice. See you in the morning <333333”

“Love you too” Charlie replies, sending off a string of hearts, before turning his phone screen off and staring up at the stars. He adjusts his seat until it’s laying all the way back, and winds his arms behind his head.

He clicks on his screen one last time, just to see the picture of Panda he set as his lock screen one more time, before he places his phone down in the cup holder next to his seat and curls up to try to fall asleep.

* * *

 

There’s a light knocking on his window the next morning, and Charlie’s heart nearly jumps out of his chest, but-

“Charlie?” Grizz’s voice says. “You awake?”

Charlie licks his hand and pats his ruffled fur down as he sits up. “Is-”

“I hear what you’re about to ask, and nope! Panda’s not with me, lovebird. You’ll have to come with me to see him”

Charlie almost whacks his head from jumping out of the car so quickly. “Oh geez, I didn’t oversleep, did I? I feel horrible. Panda’ll never forgive me” he brings his hands to his head, and begins pacing back and forth before a paw gently shoves him in the chest.

“Woah, whoa, slow down there, buddy! You’re all good. Panda’s just waking up too. Everything’s fine. I just had to run out and retrieve you before Panda could sneak out and find you himself”

“So-so he’s--?”

“Yep! All set and waiting for you”

“And what about my—?”

“Your suit’s hanging in my bedroom.” Grizz offers out a paw. “You ready to- _whoa!”_ he starts, but before Grizz can finish his sentence Charlie’s grabbing him by the arm and sprinting as fast he can towards the cave.

* * *

 

It’s…astounding. There’s a path of young carnations leading from the front door of the cave to a hand-carved wedding altar that Ice Bear is still working on fixing up with his axe. There’s a thin blanket hanging over it.  There’s a small collection of chairs, and fairy lights strung across four wooden beams. There’s a DJ stand in one of the four corners.

“You…you set this up just for me?”

“Ah ah, don’t thank me, thank your fiancé. Almost this entire setup was his doing. Little bro and I had to force him to stop working on it to go to bed last night”

“Really?” Charlie cups his hands together. “Where is he?” he asks, gazing all over the yard for any sign of Panda.

“Oh, no, no, you’re not getting off that easy. He’s changing in his room. _You_ need to go change too. I gotta go practice how to be a wedding minister on the laptop in the living room. I’ll _see_ if you two try to sneak out to see each other” Grizz says, as he stands behind Charlie and shoves him towards his room. Charlie swears he can hear Panda mumbling to himself from his own room as he passes by it, but before Charlie has time to call out to him Grizz shoves him into his room.

“Suit’s on the back of the door. I’ll come get you when I’m ready for you”.

The door clicks closed, and his suit is…so much better looking than he could’ve ever imagined. It’s a sleek black suit with a white undershirt and a moss green bowtie. There’s a sticky note taped to it with his name and a tiny scribbled heart on it in Panda’s handwriting. Which means that Panda was the one who picked it up, and had it tailored, and Charlie’s completely unsurprised at how well it fits when he slips into it.

Charlie spins in a circle, trying to observe himself from every angle.

He never wants to take it off.

There’s a light knock on the wall. “Charlie?” Panda’s voice asks, and it’s a wonder how after all this time all it takes to get Charlie’s heart racing is the sound of Panda calling his name.

“Yes, pumpkin?” he asks, and leans against the wall.

“I’m…really happy we’re doing this. I’m really glad you asked me when you did”

“Yeah? I’m glad I asked too”

Panda’s shy laughter echoes through the space between them. “I love you”

Charlie places a hand against the wall. “I love you too”.

Before Panda can say much else, though, Charlie can hear Grizz knock on Panda’s door.

“You’re up, little bro!” Grizz exclaims, and it’s funny how just the words _I’m coming!_ are enough to make Charlie fall just that much harder in love with Panda.

If that’s even humanely possible.

Charlie sits down on the edge of Grizz’s bed and leans back, burying his face in his hands.

He’s getting _married._

He’s marrying _Panda._

_The only person he’s ever loved._

Now there’s a knock on _his_ door.

“You ready, Romeo? Your, uh…other Romeo is ready!”

It’s _happening._

Slowly, Charlie stands to his feet and opens the door, and Grizz beams widely at him once he’s completely in view. “Ah! You look so _great!_ Panda’s going to _love_ seeing you in this” he offers out his elbow, and Charlie wraps his arm around Grizz’s. “Really makes it worth the wait, huh?” he says, and pushes the front door of the cave open, but Charlie’s eyes gaze upwards towards Panda before he can answer Grizz properly, and-

_Wow._

He’s chattering nervously with Ice Bear beside him, but his face is splashed with a light pink blush. It’s almost the same color as _his_ suit, a faded whitish pink with a contrasting dark blue bowtie. He’s holding a lavish bouquet of flowers, and when he catches Charlie’s eye from across the aisle he pulls his inhaler out of the center of the bouquet and takes a puff of it before he hands both his inhaler and the bouquet of flowers to Ice Bear beside him.

Grizz silently nods to Ice Bear, who nods back. Reaching behind his back, Ice Bear presses a button on a small remote control, and soft piano music begins playing from the various hidden speakers around the front yard. The seldom number of guests stand and turn, and the scattered number of forest animals who actually managed to show up all turn and look too. Charlie, not used to so much attention from so many people at once, smiles and waves shyly.

“Hey”, Panda whispers shyly, when Charlie finally joins him at his side, and Charlie has to stifle a giggle.

“Hi,” he whispers back, and Panda snickers.

Grizz slaps both of them on the shoulder. “You two good to go?”  He asks, and Panda and Charlie clasp hands.

“Alright!” Grizz claps his paws together, and looks out towards the group of guests. “The four of us are _so_ grateful you could all be here with us today. I’m Grizz, you all know me, but the _reason_ we have gathered you all here today is to witness the wedding of _my_ little brother Panda and the love of his life, Charlie”

Charlie blushes hard at _love of his life._

“Little bro, Ice, you got the rings?”

Ice Bear nods. “Ice Bear is. Best ring bear.” He says, and laughs to himself over his own joke before he presents Panda and Charlie with a small white pillow containing two shiny gold rings. Panda and Charlie each take one.

“Each of these _adorable_ lovebirds has decided to prepare their own vows for today. Panda, brother, you want to go first?”

Panda beams, taking Charlie’s hand in his own that isn’t closed securely around the ring. “I would love to” he says to Grizz, and turns to Charlie.

“Charlie, honey, sweetie, pumpkin, whatever you’d prefer I call you, whether that be just your name or the mushiest, most show-offy pet name you can think of just so you can show off to your forest friends and a _very baffled_  Tabes, that one time, that we _finally_ stopped dragging our feet and got together, I never knew all that much about romance. To me, everything I knew about romance came from anime, and manga, and whatever book I could get through in the Teen Romance section at the bookstore before I got shooed out of the aisle by silent, judging stares. All of those books and shows and movies told me that when you meet _the one,_ you know you’re meant to be as soon as you lock eyes. You know the moment they open their mouth, or the moment they bump into you and make you drop your books, and accidentally touch your hand when they help you pick them back up. I’ve been going through life being taught that romance is supposed to just fall right into your hands.

And for the longest time, I believed how that was supposed to be. I tried to force romance on anyone who’d spare me half a moment of kindness. Because to me, that’s all romance was. You meet someone you’re _destined_ to be with, and you magically end up in love, and with a roll of nonexistent credits you run off into the sunset together. But my sunset never came. I never got the happily ever after I was fed since I was just a lonely little kid growing up in an enclosure all by myself. I’d all but given up hope.

Then _you_ threw yourself into my arms, pretty literally on multiple occasions, and I _will_ admit that I did not always make it easy on you. If there’s any time better to apologize than it’s right here, right now, in front of the two brothers who know how stubborn I am about this kind of thing as witnesses. I’m sorry for how roughly I used to treat you, Charlie, and if there’s anything I’ve learned from the years I’ve known you it’s to never give up hope no matter how many times you feel like you’re down for the count. Your bright optimism is what gave me hope that one day I _would_ get my sunset, and I _would_ get my nonexistent credits rolling as I run off with the one I love. It’s been rough for _both_ of us, Charlie, but knowing you’ve always been there for me, _whenever_ I needed you, even in times I got too lost in my own head to realize it, has made it so much easier.

I’m not close with many people. Other than my brothers I could probably count on both hands how many people I consider close friends. I spend so much time in this personal little bubble because I’m afraid of what people will think or say about me. And Charlie?” Panda unclenches his hand from around the ring and slides it effortlessly onto Charlie’s awaiting hand. “There’s nobody else I’d rather share my bubble with than you”.

Charlie’s hands are trembling; he’s forcing himself that hard not to cry. He wipes at his eyes with his free hand to clear his blurring vision.

“Charlie?” Grizz’s voice cracks, and a quick glance away from Panda’s adoring smile and Charlie sees that he’s barely holding together either. “Do you have yours prepared?”

He almost wants to laugh, like he hasn’t been planning them in his head since the first time he saw Panda smile. Instead, he nods silently, and grips tightly onto Panda’s paws for life support.

“Well, first, I’d like to open by saying that I’m a very one-tracked person. I only ever tend to have one thing on my mind at a time, and that’s usually whatever’s most important to me at any given moment. Ever since I met you, Panda, it’s been you.

I spent a very good portion of my life all on my own. I’ve traveled all over the world and I’ve seen all these amazing things, but I’ve only been able to catch them from a distance. I’ve seen glimpses, I’ve caught hints, and while I’ve gotten close to experiencing life the way I’ve observed others doing so for so long, I’ve never been fully able to. I’ve never been enough of a risk-taker to just _go_ for anything. Despite everything, I’ve never felt all that _left out_ when it came to life experiences, you know? I was always able to just brush it off my shoulders and say it wasn’t meant to be. I can only think of a single exception in my entire lifetime where I haven’t been able to just sit back and let everyone else have but me, and that’s _companionship._ I never asked for much. My entire life, all I’ve been looking for in a companion was just someone who would accept me for who I was. Didn’t even need to like me all that much. Just needed someone who wouldn’t send me away or run when they saw me coming. Most of you who know me probably don’t need much sparing of any details. It was rough. I had a few good friends, here and there, but none of them were as…long-term as I’d wanted them to be. Most of them were wandering travelers, just like myself, so we never saw much of each other for very long.

What I wanted was _real_ companionship. I wanted it to be _long-term._ I needed someone who…who wanted me around for as long as I could stay. As much as I traveled, I always stopped where I felt like I belonged. It was a rarity, pumpkin, but there was no rarity bigger than my chances of meeting you. It was no accident I showed up at your cave the one time you guys ever used CaveShare. It was _your_ picture up on that profile, Panda. _You’re_ the reason I got here in the first place.  Now I don’t mean to be cheesy and say I believe in love at first sight, but I just _knew_ there was something about you that I wanted the moment you and I met.

You offered me something I hadn’t ever had. You offered me your companionship. You offered me your warmth and your protection on a level that nobody else ever has before. You risked _everything_ for me, time and time again.

I still remember a key set of words you’d said to me the night I realized I was _really_ falling in love with you. You told me that you and I, just the two of us, we made a great team. I never felt like I’d really been a part of anything like that before, and the first person I’ve ever had the pleasure of considering my best friend comes out and tells me that we’re a _team._ Teams are inseparable. And when you gave up your fancy restaurant reservations for me, and you gave me that beautiful portrait, and gave, and gave and gave, I knew that I had to have you.”

Charlie starts to choke up. “The night you told you loved me for the first time, I couldn’t sleep. I felt like I was in a dream. If I fell asleep, I was afraid all of this was going to go away when I woke up. It was too good to be true. I can’t remember if I fainted before or _after_ I’d gotten home from our first date. You find ways to make me fall harder in love with you every time we’re together. You claim that I’m the one giving _you_ hope, but honey pie, _you’re_ the reason I’m so optimistic. My biggest dream came true. The person I love _actually_ loves me back. I think whatever piece of fate that ties us together is much _stronger_ than string. You-” he chokes, and wipes at his eyes again. “You’re my soulmate, Panda. I used to never stay in any one place for more than maybe a _week_ before bouncing off for safety’s sake. But now I can’t see myself ever going _anywhere_ unless I know that you’re coming with me. Any place without you, it’s like…”  Charlie looks upwards towards the sky, partly to make a point and partly to avoid eye contact with Panda, “…nature, without sunshine. I wish I had some clever life metaphor, like you did, but here’s the thing. I don’t need any fancy life metaphors, or life experience stories to make all these things I’m saying to you sound deeper” he reaches a trembling hand out to Panda’s, who’s shaking just as hard. Charlie finally finds the willpower to look Panda in the eyes, but it’s a useless attempt, because he’s all blurry from the tears building in his eyes. “Because it’s just not life without you in it” he blinks, to clear his vision, and doesn’t even care that the tears are rolling down his face.

“Charlie…” Panda laughs wetly, and reaches a paw out to wipe the tears from Charlie’s face, but Charlie can see that he’s on the verge of breaking down too. He offers his paw out to Charlie, who shakily but steadily slides the other ring onto Panda’s finger. Panda’s got tears rolling down his cheeks too, Charlie notices when he looks back up to meet his eyes, and this time around it’s Charlie reaching to wipe Panda’s tears away.

“Then,” Grizz’s voice cracks with emotion. “By the power vested in me, in the State of California, I pronounce you, Panda and Charlie, are _now married!”_ he tosses his notecards in the air in excitement, and Charlie can tell that Grizz is fighting nard not to just grab them both in a headlock and nuzzle both of their heads. “Now do all of us here a favor and _kiss your husband”_

_Husband._

Charlie can barely process the word. _Husband._

Panda’s _his husband._

Panda leaps into his arms, and Charlie catches him effortlessly. He winds one arm around the back of his head, and the other around his waist as he dips Panda down and kisses him slowly and sweetly. Panda kisses him back, and they’re both messes from crying, but Charlie doesn’t care, he just wants to savor this moment for the rest of his life. It’s the best kiss he’s ever had in his entire life, and though the small cheering crowd  of onlookers makes him want to giggle he doesn’t break his composure even once.  They pull away, briefly, to look out at their guests, but as soon as their eyes are back on each other they’re closing their eyes and going in for another kiss, and Charlie had any say in it, he wishes they could stay this way forever.


	5. Wedding Reception/Epilogue

“Hey,” Panda whispers, taking Charlie by the hand. “Mind if we talk?”

The beaming grin plastered to Charlie’s face from all the festivities widens, threatening to split the face of Panda’s newlywed in two.  “Of course, pumpkin”, he whispers back, and Panda takes him around the corner of the cave, away from the rest of the reception where nobody else could eavesdrop.

Charlie leans casually against the side of the cave, propping his elbow up and resting his cheek in his hand. “What’s on your mind, sweetie?” he asks, eyes going all big like he’s ready to hang onto every word he says. It makes Panda’s heart skips.

“I…I haven’t been able to stop thinking about your vows”

Charlie grins, and his eye light up as brightly as the sun itself. “Really?”  He beams, cupping his hands together. “You liked ‘em? I’m so glad! I spent forever working on them. Had to ask your brothers to help me cut them down a bit because my first draft was much longer”

That last part makes Panda blush, and he smiles. Yeah, he’s definitely going to ask to hear that first draft later tonight. “I _loved_ them, Charlie” he chokes, and he takes one of Charlie’s hands into both of his paws. Charlie blushes. “I…especially can’t stop thinking about all that time you say you spent alone”

Charlie blinks, and places his other hand on top of Panda’s paws. “D’aww, sweetie, it’s okay” he smiles softly. “I have you. That’s all that matters now”.

“Exactly”, Panda affirms with a nod of his head. “And now that you do, there’s…there’s nothing I want more than to make up for all that lost time with you. I don’t _ever_ want you to feel like you’re alone like that again” he giggles. “I want you to feel…just as loved as you’ve made me feel all these years.”

“Awww, sweetie...” Charlie chokes, retracting one of his hands to wipe at the tears building in his eyes again. “You don’t gotta, I mean it. The time we’ve already had together’s enough already, and this…” he trails off, gesturing first at his own suit, and then at Panda’s with the wave of his ringed hand. “This is beyond words, Pumpkin.”

Panda shakes his head and beams lovingly at his husband. _His husband._ “I mean it too, Charlie, and I won’t take no for an answer. There’s nothing you deserve more than to make up for all that lost time with me. It’d be good for both of us. Would really show my past self what he’s missing out on for stooping in denial for as long as he did”

Charlie snickers at his stupid joke, but his eyes are full of stars, just as they were at the altar. Grabbing gently at his chest, Panda yanks Charlie down to his level and kisses him. The sudden affectionate gesture catches Charlie off-guard, but there’s not a moment of hesitation when he passionately kisses Panda back.

Panda stumbles backwards out of the kiss in a haze, like he’s never quite going to get over the lightheaded rush that Charlie’s kisses give him.

He takes Charlie’s hand to steady himself.

“Come on” he says, gesturing back over to the small reception crowd behind them. “We better get back over there before they send a search party after us”.  

 


End file.
